Hix Oyster and Fish House, Lyme Regis

Hix Oyster and Fish House is based in the beautiful harbour town of Lyme Regis in Dorset. I used to go there on holiday every year when I was younger and if you haven’t been, I’d strongly recommend you pay it a visit as it’s a beautiful place. One thing I always though it lacked however was a good seafood restaurant.

That was until Mark Hix (who owns Tramshed and Hix Oyster and Chophouse to name but a few) opened a restaurant specialising in fresh and locally sourced seafood.

It’s beautifully located; right at the top of the town with stunning views of the bay. But be warned, during peak times parking can be nothing short of a nightmare so allow plenty of time to hunt for a space. Once inside, the small dining room was flooded with natural light and every table had a sea view. It was wonderful.

To start I went for the marinated Manx queenies with cucumber and wild fennel (£12.95) which was stunningly presented. I was expecting them to be cooked, however they were raw but beautifully tender. The freshness of the finely diced cucumber cut through their fatty texture perfectly.

The crispy sea bass salad with Sillfield Farm bacon and capers (£9.75) was also delicious. Fat chunks of lightly battered sea bass had remained crisp yet delicately moist. The bacon was also in large chunks and had been deep fried; it’s quality and flavour were sublime.

For mains, the grilled Lyme Bay lemon sole served on the bone (£19.50) was cooked to utter perfection; it’s buttery flesh was moist and slipped off the bone with ease. The same could be said for my pair of Mount’s Bay John Dory (£21) which were beautiful in quality and taste. Both fish were served with a choice of green sauce (whatever that is) or hollandaise and as we both opted for the latter, a small pot was brought for us to share which seemed a little tight.

The Webster’s fish fingers with chips and mushy peas (£14.95) were perhaps the most expensive fish fingers I’ve ever encountered but the tastiest too. Strips of soft flakey pollock encased in the crunchiest of breadcrumb coatings got a big thumbs up from me and the chips were to die for.

A side of Trill Farm courgettes with tomatoes and herbs (£3.75) had been sprinkled with breadcrumbs which added texture and stopped them from being a big bowl of mush.

We decided to share the dark chocolate mousse (£7) which was ever so rich; perfect for sharing but even the most chocoholic of beings wouldn’t have been able to finish it alone.

We had a great time at Hix Oyster and Fish House – it certainly isn’t a cheap restaurant but when you factor in the quality of the fish and that superb view then you don’t mind the price at all. A trip to Lyme Regis wouldn’t be complete without a visit here.